Effect of feeding method on behaviour of simmental heifers

• Published in: Congresos y Jornadas. Serie Producción Animal - Asociación Interprofesional para el Desarrollo Agrario (España) pp. 138 - 140
• Main Authors: Iraira, S.P., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (España). Servei de Nutrició i Benestar Animal, Rodríguez Prado, M., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (España). Servei de Nutrició i Benestar Animal, Ruiz de la Torre, J.L., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (España). Servei de Nutrició i Benestar Animal, Manteca, X., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (España). Servei de Nutrició i Benestar Animal, Calsamiglia, S., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (España). Servei de Nutrició i Benestar Animal, Ferret, A., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (España). Servei de Nutrició i Benestar Animal
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Zaragoza (España) AIDA 2011
• Subjects: ALIMENT POUR ANIMAUX; ALIMENTACION FORZADA; ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR; CALVES; COMPORTAMIENTO ANIMAL; COMPORTEMENT ALIMENTAIRE; COMPORTEMENT ANIMAL; EXPERIMENTACION; EXPERIMENTATION; FEEDING HABITS; FEEDS; FORCED FEEDING; GAVAGE; HABITOS ALIMENTARIOS; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_1219; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_2758; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_2840; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_2843; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3038; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_7441; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_8811; PAILLE; PAJA; PIENSOS; STRAW; TERNERO; VEAU
• ISBN: 9788461500628; 8461500628

Eight Simmental heifers (118 +/- 3.8 kg BW) were used to study the effects of feeding method on animal behaviour in a crossover design experiment. Treatments consisted of feeding concentrate and chopped barley straw as: 1) choice (SP; concentrate and straw in separate feed bunks), or 2) as total mixed ration (TMR; concentrate and straw in one feed bunk). Feeds were offered on an ad libitum basis, but always maintaining a concentrate to straw ratio of 90 to 10. The experiment was performed in two 21-d periods, and sampling was carried out in the last week of each period. At the end of each period, the heifers changed treatment, so the final number of animals per treatment was eight. Barley straw was coarsely chopped with a chopping machine. Animal behaviour was video-recorded for 24-h on d 2 and d 6 of each experimental period. Feeding method affected ruminating behaviour but did not affect eating and drinking behaviours. Heifers fed TMR spent more time ruminating than heifers fed concentrate and barley straw separately.